Page 71 of The Shattered Kingdom
He hasn’t acknowledged Kie’s presence. It’s almost as if the faerie is invisible to him. I don’t need to look at Kie to know it’s pissing him off, which I’m sure is Alpha Theon’s intention. I highly doubt anything he says or does is unintentional.
Mason clears his throat. “We didn’t feel that was appropriate, given the circumstances.”
I scan the woods surrounding us, searching for shifters. Nothing stands out, but I don’t believe it. I don’t know Alpha Theon, and I don’t trust him.
“We?” Alpha Theon laughs. “I heard the faeries softened you, but I didn’t realize they also stripped you of your manhood.”
Mason stiffens beside me, and his arms begin to tremble. He’s going to lose control.
Alpha Theon continues. “The moment you failed to kill Kieran, I knew you’d never grow to be a man I’d be proud of. I must admit I always held on to some hope. I’m disappointed.”
I slide my hand up the back of Mason’s shirt, pressing my bare palm against his warm skin. Alpha Theon’s eyes follow my movement, silently clocking the action. I don’t care. I drag my nails down Mason’s back, hoping the touch is distracting.
Alpha Theon smirks. “The rumors about her being your mate are true, then?”
“You already know that,” Mason says. “Why else would Callie have brought Abby and Lillian together? I assume she used gods’ magic to find our mate.”
Alpha Theon shrugs, not denying Mason’s accusation. Isuppose we can consider that one question answered. It’s already more than I thought we’d get out of this.
I ignore the pang of hurt that travels down my spine. Did Lill know? Did she suspect?
Kie interrupts. “We also assume Callie is still alive, and you’ve been hiding her on your lands for several years.” Kie clears his throat. “You don’t have Lillian, though.”
A look of shock crosses Alpha Theon’s expression, but it vanishes almost immediately. What makes Kie think Lill isn’t with Alpha Theon? I have many questions, and I expect a full debriefing when we get home.
“What do you intend to do with our lands?” Alpha Theon asks, changing the subject. “Now that you’re king, I’m interested to hear how you plan to handle the Redstall Forest.”
“I intend to make no changes to our land agreements.”
Alpha Theon scoffs. “Our numbers were decimated by Zaha, and we haven’t had the opportunity to repopulate because your beloved faeries have trapped us within this forest. We aren’t thriving.”
I don’t see how the forest is preventing the shifters from repopulating. The trees aren’t stopping them from humping, and the forest is huge. I suppose they have to share the area with the trolls, but I’m under the impression the trolls aren’t much of a threat.
“Repopulate?” Mason cocks his head to the side. “That’s an interesting concern coming from the man who left his child for dead.”
Ah. Here it comes.
Alpha Theon blinks, his eyebrows furrowing together. He doesn’t know what Mason’s referring to.
Mason reaches into his pocket and pulls out the crumpled letter he found in Queen Gitta’s desk. I didn’t realize he broughtit, and I press my lips together as he tosses it toward his dad. Alpha Theon takes two seconds to read the letter before shrugging and dropping it to the ground.
I can practicallyfeelthe last remaining bit of Mason’s patience vanishing.
Alpha Theon was in a great position to manipulate Mason. Had he come to this meeting with a better attitude, perhaps the promise of reconciliation, even if not earnest, he could have very likely gotten Mason to do just about anything for him. I’m sure he’ll realize later it was a huge mistake.
Alpha Theon didn’t think Mason held any loyalty toward the shifters. He didn’t realize the lengths to which Mason went to defend his family.
Mason shifts his weight from foot to foot. His back muscles tighten and loosen with each movement, and I continue stroking my fingers over them. I’m not sure if it’s helping, but it doesn’t hurt to try. It’s better than nothing.
Kie speaks, killing the quiet that’s fallen over us.
“Callie must be desperate to find her daughter,” he says. “That’s why you agreed to meet with us, isn’t it? You don’t know where Lillian is, and you’re hoping Abby can give you information.”
Alpha Theon grows stiff. I now understand why Kie was adamant about coming to the meeting. I’m not sure Mason is in a state of mind to read all the hidden things Alpha Theon is saying with his silence and snarky responses. Kie’s perceptive, though. He’s making accusations, and judging by Alpha Theon’s physical response to them, he’s on the right track.
“Lillian was given a black stone necklace as a child,” Alpha Theon says. “She was told to use it if she ever needed access to magic. Callie failed to mention that it was gods’ magic she’d be using.”
What? I blink, faintly recalling Lill using a necklace to help her open the portal. I knew every article of clothing and jewelry Lill owned, but I’d never seen the necklace before then. The way the gold chain shimmered in the sunlight caught my attention, and there was a small black stone in the center of it.
